thoughts on books, reading, and libraries

Reading Recap | October 2018

Here’s a look at the books I read in October. I’m stingy with my 5-star ratings, so it’s a literary miracle that two books earned them this month. Have you read any of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Great Believers by Rebecca MakkaiRating:

WHAT’S THIS BOOK ABOUT?

The novel goes back and forth between time periods and two primary characters. The first is Yale, a gay man living in Chicago in the 1980s. AIDS is slowly but surely killing his friends. One of those friends was Nico whose sister is Fiona, a stand-in mother to the group. Fiona’s great-aunt has some valuable art she’d like to donate, so Fiona connects her to Yale, a development director at an art gallery.

Years later in 2015, Fiona travels to Paris to find her adult daughter who became part of a cult. She stays with an artist from the old Chicago scene while she searches for her child and is forced to face the tragedies of her life.

WHAT WAS GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK?

The Great Believers is a story about love, friendship, parenthood, art, and the AIDS epidemic, yet the novel never feels as if it’s trying to do too much. Makkai is a gifted storyteller who weaves together the dueling timelines so seamlessly that it looks as if it were easy.

Though Makkai focuses on Yale and Fiona, this novel is full of vibrant characters. Instead of being there to further the main stories, these characters are as interesting and well-developed as the two protagonists. Makkai’s writing is gorgeous and poetic. This book contained a lot of heartbreak, but also so much life.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

WHAT’S THIS BOOK ABOUT?

Cassie Maddox is one of the detectives readers meet in Tana French’s first book, In the Woods. In The Likeness, Cassie is a little bored. She transferred out of murder into the domestic violence unit. Her work is routine, she now wears suits, and she has a sweet boyfriend. Her life is pretty safe and predictable. When a murdered woman is found who happens to look just like Cassie, she’s called to the scene. It turns out the dead woman not only looked like Cassie but was living as Lexie Madison, the identity Cassie used years before in an undercover case. Cassie is asked to go undercover yet again to try to find Lexie’s killer, and she can’t resist.

WHAT WAS GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK?

The thing that makes In the Woods great makes The Likeness great, too, and that’s French’s pacing. Some mystery and suspense novels have twists and turns every other page. Those books focus on plot, and the characters take a backseat. The Likeness has an exciting plot and does include twists and turns, but French takes her time in her storytelling. Several chapters can go by before there are any significant plot developments. If that sounds boring, it isn’t. French’s prose is consistently interesting, and her characters seem like real people. The tension she creates is palpable.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

Fans of In the Woods will love this continuation of Cassie’s story. Mystery lovers looking for depth and great writing will enjoy this, too.

How to Be Safe by Tom McAllister
Rating:

WHAT’S THIS BOOK ABOUT?

Anna Crawford is an English teacher who was suspended for an outburst at her public high school. When a shooting takes place there, Anna is one of the first suspects. She’s ruled out quickly when law enforcement realizes the shooter was someone else, but her life is turned upside down anyway. Her home was torn apart searching for evidence. Her face was on the news. She lives in a small town, so she can’t escape people’s judgment. How to Be Safe examines a year in Anna’s life after the shooting and how it deeply affected her, even though she wasn’t there when it happened.

WHAT WAS GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK?

Tom McAllister uses effective, dark satire to explore a nation that profoundly loves its guns. He also shows just how damaging our quick judgment can be to innocent people.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

People who are okay with unlikable and unreliable narrators will be this book’s best audience.

Almost Everything: Notes on Hope by Anne LamottRating:

WHAT’S THIS BOOK ABOUT?

This is another nonfiction title from Lamott in which she sets out to write everything she knows about hope. Lamott’s usual topics are here in abundance: God, politics, addiction, and friendship.

WHAT WAS GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK?

What I most enjoy about Almost Everything is that Lamott genuinely wrestles with hope. It doesn’t come easily to her; she realizes joy is a choice. I appreciate that kind of honesty and found this book refreshing.